Disappearing door structure



Feb. 6, 1940,l

' cA F. vANDr-:RVELD DISA'FPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e. f f IHHV Il'. l' n au/ m A ON W @omaggi Filed June 26, 1939 Feb. 6, 1940.

C. F. VANDERVELD y 2,189,233 DISAPPEARING DQOR STRUCTURE Filed June 26, 1 959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ble-EQ. Chaes 'lank Vandewcld Qm i Amb?.

Patented rese, 1940 l. nisArPEAnING Doon STRUCTURE Charles Frank Vanderveld, Grand Rapids, Mich., assigner to Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, Grand Rapids,

of Michigan Mich., a corporation appncaonmne .26, 1939, serial No. .281,213

l 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a door structure and more particularly to a door which isadaptecl to close the opening `at the front of a case, cabinet or shelving and which may be lifted and moved "inwardly and received within the said case, cabi` net or shelving; In doors of this'kindthe weight of the door would tend to cause `it to fall with considerable torce and, under the` iniuence of gravity it might strike against portions of the case or shelving with danger of injuring the door or its mounting;` andin .those instances where the door is partially oi glass, the glass might be cracked orlperhaps completely shattered,` while in substantially all instances, unless the door should be held againstsuch droppingunder the influence of gravity, undesirable noises are made.

The present invention is directed to a very practical, useful and yet simple construction of door mounting in which'the'door `is -very readily moved from its operative closed. position to its open position and back to its closed position, without development of undesired noises of operation and without danger ol` injury tothe door or its mounting in any manner. f

The invention maybe understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical section showing 1e door mounting in side elevation at one ond of a shelving case 'wherein the outer opening to the space` between two parallel horizontal shelves is adapted to be closed hy a door, the

i mounting for the door being shown' in the position it occupies when the door has beenretracted into the case.

Fig. is a similar section and elevation, showing the posltionof the mounting for the door when the door is in its closed position.

3 is a fragmentary vertical `section at right angles to that shown in Fig. 2, a portion of the door being shown in'elevation. v i K Fig; i is a horizontal section and'under plan View `substantially on 4the plane oi?` line nl-fl of Fig.v 2, looking upwardly in the direction of the arrows.

5 is a view in section similar to Fig. l,

showing a different form or embodiment of the invention and one which for many reasons may be preferred, and A 6 and 7 are vertical and horizontal `secl tions respectivelyon the planes oi lines tif- Ei and 'iot Fig.` 5, 'looking in the directions indicated.

Lilie reference characters refer to like parts in .i 'thedifferent figures of the drawings.

The shelving to which the door and its mount- (Cl. 1li-96) ing are shown applied may have Vertical ends l, between which parallel spaced horlzontalshelves d are carried. Of course the case maybe equipped with other shelves above and below those shown, and it will havethe ordinary top cornice` andi 5 bottom, It is between the front portionsof the shelves that the door is adapted to bevertically located when it is closing` the entrancetosaid space. In practice the door consists of ."aglass plate 3 which has a metal channel border' l at its l0 lower edge, and similar metal channel borders oat its vertical edges. f n f v v When the` door is 11i-its 'closed position, as Y shown in Fig. 3 and asindicated in Fig, two

rollers, an upper roller @and a lower roller l, Al5

which the guide is made. Such cover I l extendsM25 .from a point substantially midway between the upper and lower ends of the `guide, to the lower end thereof, and also covers an angle memberv l2 locatedy at the` bottoinaof the guide.4 The vdoor mounting at the inner sideof eachlend, l of theho case also includes a horizontal guide likewise of f" channel forni, having a bottom or web, lhand vupperand lower horizontal flanges lll and.y l5. The upper flange lli extends iorward'asat` lia,

to the outer flangeY S of the front vertical guide` `35` with which it is associated, while the fiange lilof .the` front vertical guide is cut away as shown, :so that the rollers l5 and 'l may passy from their vertical guides into their associated `horizontal guides as thecloor is moved from its closeolposition into the case, whereupon the rollers l5 andl: l will occupy the positionsindicatedin Fig, Lythe roller 6 coming against a stop l5 located1 adjacent f the inner end of the horizontal guide described;` i

Within each of the vertical guigrlesiery the 45 door a coiled compression spring il is located, at v its lower end resting upon the membendl. A` vrod lll extends downwardly through. the upper portionvof the spring ll and is equipped l.witlfi a head I9v at its-upper end which rests upon theo-5t)v1 the horizontal guides until said rollers successively reach the vertical guides. The rollers 'I reach said guides first and thereupon move downwardly between the flanges 9 and I0 of the verti- Vtheir extensions Ma of the horizontal guides at all times, and when the door is in a vertical posir' tion, as in Figs. 2 and 3, the rollers 6 and 'l are lower shelf 2.

in direct vertical alinement, the springs I'I are Compressed, and the door is held in its closed position, inasmuch as the force of the springs I8 vis in direct vertical alinement with the axes of the rollers E and L Or as it may be stated, the force of the springs is in a dead center linedirection, and is not exerted in any manner so as to cause the door to be tilted away from its closed vertical position.

'Tov open the door it is necessary merely to exert an inward pressure against the upper portion thereof, whereupon the rollers will move backwardly in the horizontal channel guides and .the springs I'I will partially lift the door toward open position or until their diminishing force is balancedby that part of the weight of 'the door which-is carried on the heads I9. The door will thereupon be tilted outwardly and downwardly and can be lifted at its lower edge portion to horizontal and moved rearwardly with all of the rollers Ii and I received between the anges I4 and I5 of the upper horizontal guides.

When the door is within the case and in horizontal position as indicated in Fig. l, its forward portion outwardly and beyond the rollers I is adapted to rest upon inwardly extending tongues 20 of metal which may be spot-welded to the under flanges I5 -of the horizontal guides as shown, whereby the weight of the free outer portionof the door beyond the roller I does not reactupwardly solely against the rollers 6 bearing against the under sides of the upper flanges I4 ofthe horizontal guides. This prevents undue strain upon the rollers and also any tendency to distort the flanges I4 or thelower flanges I5 where the rollers 'I bear thereagainst.

In closing the door, when it is drawn outwardly, if theoperator releases his hold upon the door the effect is merely to partially compress the vsprings Il, which check the door from falling so that its ylower edges does not strike against the It is of course to be understood that while the channel guides for the rollers E and I- and for the reception of the springs I 'I and associated rods I8 and heads I9 are shown as located at the inner sides of the sides I of the case, such` guides may be inserted in grooves in such sides of the case, the grooves being of a depth to either wholly or partially receive the guides.

In Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, the 'guides are of a different form in some respects. The upper horizontal guide having the web I3 and the upper I end the post has the inner flange 23 and the web "`75 2| cut away, leaving a vertical extension 22a of the flange 22 which covers lthe front end of the horizontal upper guide. The post extends from the front end of the horizontal upper guide downwardly to the next lower shelf 2 and is mounted adjacent the front edge of the end I of the case to which it is attached.

f Underneath the horizontal upper guide and back of the post 2| is a guide also of channellike form in cross-section, having a web 24 and spaced flanges 25 and 26 extending therefrom, which is bent into a curved form at its intermediate portion as indicated at 27, so that this guide has three sections, a horizontal and a vertical section lying at right angles to each other connected by the curved intermediate section 21. The vertical section of the guide is located back of the ange 23 of the previously described post, with flanges 23 and 25 in contact engagement and preferably spot-welded or otherwise permanently secured together. The horizontal section of this guide lies underneath the intermediate portion of the upper horizontal guide with the flanges I5 and 25 together and permanently secured by spot-welding or its equivalent. 'I'he lower portion of the vertical section of this guide is equipped with a covering plate IIa and it is back of this plate that the spring I'I and rod I8 are disposed, and with the head I9 at the upper end of the rod I8, the same as such` structure is mounted in the vertical guide in the first described form back of the cover plate II as shown in Figs. l, 2`

and 3.

Instead of the rollers 'i being connected directly to the metallic borders 5 at the ends of the door, said rollers-are carried by angle brackets 28, the horizontal legs of which are permanently secured by welding to the lower flanges of the borders, said rollers being mounted on the vertical legs of the brackets.` The rollers 6 are located on the doors in the same manner as previously described and are received between the flanges I4 and I5 of the upper horizontal guide, while the rollers 'I are received in the last described guide between the flanges 25 and 26 thereof.

With the door received within the case and lying horizontally in the upper portion thereof between the upper horizontal guides, to close the door it is drawn outwardly, whereupon rollers 6 move between the guide flanges I4 andI5 and the rollers 'I between the guide flanges 25 and 26. The rollers 7 upon reaching the curved section 27, change direction and move into the vertical sections of the last described guides until heads I9 are engaged, whereupon the springs I'I are compressed and the door may be closed in the same manner as previously described with reference to the structure shown in Fig. l. There is no danger of the door being drawn outwardly in a horizontal plane too rapidly and have the rollers 'I strike against the outer flanges of the vertical guides as in Fig. l, as said rollers 'i are compelled to follow the curved path of the section 27, and the door is compelled to correspondingly follow the rollers, with an automatic change of position of the door from horizontal to vertical without impact of the rollers against any parts of the guide flanges which might produce jar and breakage in the door or injury to the guides. The guide assemblies, one for each end of the case, may be readily fabricated and assembled and welded together before securing to the inner sides of the ends of the case. r

There are many other changes in detail of structure which may be resorted to without vchange in the principle of operation or in the essential structure of this invention. The constructions described are very easy to operate, are readily manufactured and easily installed, and

have proven particularly simple and effective in` said guides being positioned substantially vertical and the other substantially horizontal, a cover member for the lower. part of the vertical guide, whereby said vertical guide at its lower portion is of rectangular form in cross section and has a continuous verticalopening therethrough a supporting member in the lower part of the vertical guide, a compression spring located in said vertical guide and normally extending from said supporting member above said cover, a rod extending downwardly through the upper portion of said coiled compression spring, and a head at the upper end of the rod resting upon the upper end of said spring and located between the side iianges of the vertical guide, as and for the purposes described. 1 i

2. Door guides adapted to be attached at the inner sides of the vertical ends of a case,` each guide comprising, channel members one adapted to be located substantially vertically at the inner side of an end of the case and adjacent the front edge thereof, and the other extending rearwardly from the upper end portion of the vertical guide, said guides having opensides, a cover closing the lower portion of the open side of `each vertical guide, an elongated coiled spring in each vertical guide extending from the lower end thereof above said cover but short of the upper end of said guide, and a rod having a head at its upper end extending downwardly through the upper end portion of each coiled spring, as Specied.

3. A mounting for doors comprising, a guide of channel form having two sections, one adapted to be located substantially horizontal and the other substantially vertical with an intermediate curved section between and integral therewith whereby there is provided a continuous passage between the anges of said guide, a second guide of ychannel form n located immediately over the i horizontal section of the first guide a cover member for the lower part of the vertical section of Y said first guide, a compression spring located in the vertical section of said rst guide normally extending above the upper end of said cover, means for supporting the lower end of the spring, a rod extending through the upper portion of said spring and a head in the upper end of the rod resting upon the upper end of said spring, said head, spring and rod being located between the flanges of said vertical sectionvof the guide.

4. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 3, combined with a` `vertical member located alongside of andin front of the vertical section of said first guide and having its upper end extending to and closing the front end of the second guide.

y 5. Guide means for a door adapted to be positioned `vertically to close the open front side of a case, said door being adapted to be lifted and moved into thev case to occupy a substantially horizontal position, said guide means comprising horizontal guide means adapted to be secured adjacent the upper part of and at each end of the case and vertical guide means adapted to be secured adjacent the front and on each end of the case and adaptedvto carry the door, spring means located in the vertical guide means adapted to be downwardly compressed when'the dooris closed and to expand vertically on release when the door is opened, a rod extending through a portion of the spring, and means ontheupper` end of said rod resting onthe upper end of said spring.

in a downward direction, means supporting the` lower end of said spring, a rod extending through said spring and means on the upper end of said rod resting on the vupper end of said spring, as

and for the purposes specied.

' v CHARLES FRANK VANDERVELDL 

